STARKVILLE – For nearly a quarter Friday night, Clinton looked ready to make it a fight. But once Starkville found its rhythm, the Yellow Jackets took command and never looked back, rolling to a 28-7 win at Yellow Jacket Stadium.
The early minutes were shaky on both sides. After Clinton deferred the opening kickoff, Starkville’s first drive started with a drop and a penalty that backed the offense up. Quarterback Kingston Johnson settled in, finding A’braylen Jenkins for nine yards to set up a fourth-and-one near midfield. Head coach John Carr kept the offense on the field, and senior running back Torian Knox made the gamble pay off, bursting through the right side for a 36-yard run down to the Clinton 35.
The Jackets couldn’t finish the drive, turning it over on downs after a pair of incompletions, but the aggressiveness set the tone.
Clinton responded with its best sequence of the half. Quarterback Jayden Jones connected with Dayson Scott to move deep into Starkville territory, but a personal foul inside the 10 pushed the Arrows backward. A field goal attempt was then blocked by the Starkville front, halting the drive and swinging momentum.
Two plays later, the Jackets struck first. After a short Knox run, Johnson dropped back and found Jenkins streaking down the sideline for a 59-yard touchdown, putting Starkville ahead 7-0 late in the first quarter.
Carr said the early aggression was no accident.
“It was the emphasis all week… trying to get off to a fast start,” Carr said. “We talked about being aggressive on fourth down and going for it. I trust our guys.”
In the second quarter, Starkville’s special teams came through again. Clinton had driven near the red zone before the Jackets’ rush broke through and blocked another field goal. This time, senior linebacker Kaesen McQuiller scooped up the loose ball and sprinted nearly 70 yards for a touchdown, electrifying the home crowd and doubling the lead to 14-0.
From there, the defense took over. The Arrows reached the end zone late in the half, but a Starkville defender intercepted Jones to preserve the shutout going into halftime.
Just minutes into the third quarter, the Jackets landed another blow. Jekylon Taylor jumped a sideline route and returned the interception 35 yards for a touchdown, extending the lead to 21-0. Clinton answered midway through the quarter when Jones found Jamari Smith for an eight-yard score, trimming the deficit to 21-7.
Any hopes of a comeback disappeared early in the fourth. Johnson hit Jenkins again on a 28-yard completion to move inside the red zone, and a few plays later Jenkins powered across from two yards out for his second touchdown of the night. The defense sealed it from there, forcing two more turnovers to cap off a dominant showing.
Carr said his team’s effort was encouraging but left room for improvement.
“Penalties, penalties, and alignment on defense,” Carr said. “We’ve got to learn how to line up on defense. We’re not doing that very good right now. And then penalties on offense — every time we get a big play, we’ve got something downfield shooting ourselves in the foot.”
With the win, Starkville continues to build momentum as district play continues next week. The Yellow Jackets will look to clean up the miscues as they prepare to host Murrah on Friday.
Starkville 28, Clinton 7
Clinton (4-3) 0 0 7 0 — 7
Starkville (5-2) 7 7 7 7 — 28
First Quarter
STK — Jenkins 59-yard pass from Johnson (PAT good)
Second Quarter
STK — McQuiller blocked field goal return (PAT good)
Third Quarter
STK — Taylor 35-yard interception return (PAT good)
CLN — Smith 8-yard pass from Jones (PAT good)
Fourth Quarter
STK — Jenkins 2-yard run (PAT good)
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